The Mixed Bag: April '25
book logs, time travel (?), and something to read while time traveling
You know that moment where someone’s like, “Seen anything good lately?” This is my very prepared answer.
🐾 previously, on WAGO…
I was thinking of cleaning the basement (then Kant showed up)
The Lounge Chat: This is probably hell, right?
(Psst: Next Lounge Chat is on May 29th, if you want to mark the calendar.)
🔗 other people’s brilliance
“We are, it seems, either numbing ourselves with screen-fed outrage or outsourcing our minds to ideological tribes. Reading, especially slow, deliberate reading of books that make us uncomfortable, now feels like the last form of mental sovereignty.” — Diamond-Michael Scott in his piece, “Reading as a Radical Act”
“We cannot allow the em dash to be sullied. […] The em dash is uniquely brilliant — a tightrope and a monkey bar, the Goldilocks Zone of pauses.” — Amos Wollen in “the em dash — an anti-obituary”
“If there’s one thing about The Artist’s Way, it’s that almost no one finishes it.” — Anna Seirian and MJ Mayes in “How to Do The Bare Minimum Artist’s Way”
“If the world is going to change, I want to meet it barefoot, sun-kissed, and fully awake.” — Scott Stillman in “Finding Meaning in Unpredictable Times”
“When women tell you they feel invisible, they often describe it as a double-edged sword.” — Jenna Park in “Angel Number 55: Welcome to Irrelevance”
“We treat our time like a bottomless Netflix queue. Always another episode. Always another ‘later.’ But later is an illusion.” — Tinashe D. Ndhlovu in “Before The Fire Goes Out”
📚 dog-eared
I FINALLY came up with a book log. I know! For someone who’s basically a card-carrying book nerd, this is embarrassingly overdue. But I somehow missed the memo, and now I’ve got years decades of reading lost in the ether. (Okay, not lost-lost, but you get me.) There are books I’ve forgotten I ever read, and others I remember fondly... but couldn’t tell you a single thing about. 😧
So after much dithering, I’ve committed to a digital book log in Notion. It’s a simple database of what I’m reading and what’s in the queue. When I finish a book, I rate it (classic 5-star system) and immediately write down my impressions. Immediately being the key here. If I wait even a few days, the vibe fades. And then it's gone.
Do you keep a book log? How do you do it — analog? Emojis? Collected post-its for your future self?
📺 couch report
About Time (2013). Ostensibly a fantastical rom-com.” But really, it’s a love story between Tim and his dad. And how we might actually live when we realize how each day is truly precious, time travel or not. A Philosophy class disguised as a warm, cozy blanket. (Psst: If you have Netflix, you have until April 30th to watch it.)
🍭 echo chamber
One of the best parts of WAGO is hearing from you — your comments and reflections always take the conversation deeper.
Last Sunday, we looked at the kind of change that sneaks up on us. Shifts we didn’t choose or orchestrate, but that still managed to reshape us in lasting ways.
Cathy Jacob shared how becoming a grandmother changed her in the most monumental way. Sandra Pawula wrote about a life-altering encounter with a spiritual teacher.
Hop into the comments if you haven’t yet. I’d love to hear what’s changed you.
💬 last word
No real reason for this one. Just the kind of song that makes you pause, look out a window, and feel all your memories at once.
Everything is fine,
Lou Blaser
(Vice Deputy of Whatever This Is)
Thank you for the mention, Lou.
Lou, I'm sorry to say that I hardly read anymore. So I don't merit a book log, but yours inspires me. Thanks for all the juicy recommendations and the mention!